Letter to the BBC Complaining that it is Stifling a Real Discussion on Jihad

I am writing to you to complain about the article on your website entitled “Manchester mosque sermon ‘called for armed jihad‘, say scholars.” It appears to be a feeble attempt to prevent real discussion about the colonial role of Western governments in the oppression overseas, and to distort the Islamic concepts regarding the role of Muslims in addressing such oppression.

The people of Syria have had a war imposed upon them by an American backed dictator, the brutal murderer and butcher Bashar al-Assad. The people of Aleppo, who fought to defend their families and homes, and to repel the American proxies’ aggression, using Syrian, Iranian and Russian forces, are honourable people and not terrorists. Describing them as mujahideen in the way of Allah is not something that a Muslim, let alone any scholar could deny. Praying for their help from Allah and victory over their oppressor is the most natural thing that one would expect of any human, let alone a believer in the Quran and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.

The alternative is for us not to pray for their help and victory, and to stay silent about their oppression and suffering. This appears to be the agenda of the BBC, the British government and mainstream British media. Describing the prayer to Allah for their victory as a call to terrorism and for British youth to perpetrate violent acts against innocent civilians is a devious and untruthful misinterpretation. Would the BBC prefer that mosque Imams pray for the victory of the butcher Al-Assad?

No one should be fooled by the article’s use of “scholars” to interpret the speech of the mosque Imam. It is not hard to find an academic willing to regurgitate your own narrative, and this cannot ever be considered objective journalism, when you only report a one-sided analysis without reference to alternative views.

The shameful article serves only to stifle real discussion about the role of Jihad in Islam until it becomes too hot a topic for any Imam to touch. Then the only narrative left will be the BBC narrative, that Jihad is the terrorism of innocent civilians, while the truth is very different from that.

Muslims are obliged to expose the oppression of the Western-backed dictators, along with the Western government policies that keep them there. Muslims are also obliged to support the work to remove these dictators and establish a Khilafah (Caliphate) on the way of Prophethood. The Islamic method to establish an Islamic State is not an armed struggle, but rather it is a political and intellectual struggle. However, when people are attacked in their homes, they should have no fear nor should they be blamed for defending themselves. Their Jihad is to defend themselves and has no relationship to their political work to replace their dictatorial regime with an Islamic Khilafah.

People have become used to hearing two contradictory views on the subject of Jihad – one which restricts it to a wholly spiritual struggle of the soul and the other which falsely links it with acts of ‘terror’ like Manchester or London Bridge.

Moreover, the government’s counter-‘extremism’ strategy makes most Imams reluctant to explain what Jihad really means, for fear of being labelled ‘extreme’. This is a disastrous situation, leaving Muslims with questions about this hot topic, but denied access to meaningful answers. Hence, we feel it entirely appropriate to discuss the matter of Jihad within its appropriate context.

The numerous publications of Hizb ut Tahrir, along with 1400 years of Islamic scholarship, explain that Jihad is what you might consider as the foreign and defence policy of the Islamic State. It addresses defending itself from an aggressor or removing the physical obstacle in the path of the call to Islam, particularly against tyrants or dictators who oppress their people and prevent them from learning about Islam.

Whilst Britain and America removed Saddam Hussein and Colonel Gaddafi in order to exploit the resources of the region and take the wealth of the land, forcing liberal secularism on the people – the state, in an Islamic context, would not only help remove such dictators, but invest wealth and resources to build these countries, yet leave the people to choose their religion without coercion.

At the very least the BBC should aim to become a responsible media organisation by ceasing to promote the agenda to stifle real discussion and create tensions among communities in the UK and abroad. Unlike the secular capitalist world order today, Islam solves the problems of humanity in a way that agrees with our human nature, satisfies the mind, and creates harmony between the people, rather than conflict. This is an idea that your journalists should take seriously if there is any genuine concern to end the ghastly oppression that dominates all corners of the world today.